The Wolves Rising
by Zion of the Desert
Summary: You know the cats living by the lake, so now it's time to feel the wolves rise! The true warriors of the wild! The young wolf, Zion from a small tribe in the Desert kingdom struggles to become a great Warrior, but it soon will all crumble to pieces...
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

There was a time you knew of the cats, surviving in the wild. Their clan, which they depended on, helped them to survive their harsh lives in the wilderness. But beyond the clans lied much more, greater than they could imagine. Little did they know, the true survivors owned the night, basking their fur in solid moonlight. You may have seen them, in your dreams, a flash before your weary eyes. Or maybe howling at the white, glorious moon that sits in the sky before you.

Maybe their was another world out there, but your paws could never dream of touching it. This is the world where cats do not belong. This is the world where as soon as a single cat would step into, their would only lie a pile of remaining bones. This is the world where the wolves thrive.

Unlike the world of cats, the wolves have four separate clans with many different packs or tribes within them. There's the Midnight Souls, who spend most of their time in the blackest night. They are known for their speed, for they embrace the deep forests. The main pack are the Blue Howlers. They hold all the meetings in the Midnight Soul territories. Then there's the Frost Guardians, who have inhabited the snow filled mountains. They can race quickly through the snow and can last for miles without growing tired. The head clan are the Winter Soldiers, who unusually use weapons left on the mountains from humans. ( Yes, weapons... DON'T QUESTION MY LOGIC! )

The third clan symbolizes speed, they live in beautiful forests covering vast moors. They are known as the Cloud Runners. They can jump from great hight and land gracefully atop trees. They appear so high, they claim to be level to the clouds hight. Quite peaceful for the head pack, the Shadow Hunters.

Then finally, where the story takes place, the golden dunes of the Four Great Territories, the Desert Flyers. This is the clan where learning to fight with human weapons originated. They are known to be feared, due to their strength. Some even say they have wings, or talons like the eagles, leaping over the broad dunes of sand. The main pack is known as the Golden Talons.

But our story does not start at the head. It starts in the smallest pack of the great clan. It went simply by the name: The Free Heart.

Amongst the small tribe was a young wolf that was named Zion. His fur a darker brown shade, but his face shown lighter. Golden-amber eyes with a bright spirit, even after both parents died in a dreadful sandstorm. He was so young, he could barely remember them. Perhaps that is the reason why he had such a heartfelt character.

No matter, on with the story!

* * *

Chapter 1: A Noisy Morning.

The sun had just risen, it shown right in his eyes. How annoying!

Zion arranged his paws to rise up, but felt a heavy weight holding him down. Curious, he reached his head around to find a beautiful grey and white wolf laying on top of him. She was sound asleep, mouth just open enough to leave a damp spot of drool lying on his fur. He felt his face grow hot and laid himself right back down.

Laira had always been a heavy sleeper, staying drowsy in the morning when she should be hunting. She must've come to him at night when it got cold. No wonder he didn't wake up in the night to curl up. Around these few days, the afternoons would be hotter and the nights colder than usual.

He ignored his random thoughts and moved Laira's muzzle with his own to gently wake her up," Laira, get up. Come on, don't be lazy."

Laira slowly opened her brown eyes and stared at him for a moment. They didn't say a word, just fixed at each others eyes. Laira suddenly leaped up, embarrassed.

"Wha- I'm sorry! I - it just that you looked so cold, " she sat down quickly.

Zion got up as well, " No, it's alright, " he timidly shuffled his paws, " But, you did almost drown me in drool," Zion smiled. He gestured to a spot of his golden coat, which was covered in drool.

Laira became more familiar, padded over to him and bumped him purposely, but playfully on the side, "Shut up!" she snickered when she caught him by surprise by knocking him over.

Zion barked and jumped onto her, but she was prepared, even just when waking in the morning. She rolled over and let her back paws push him playfully away, but was ready to stand up. But she jumped at him too soon to recover her balance and was unstable, so even if he touched her, she would easily trip over her paws. Realizing her mistake, she attempted to turn around, but found herself between Zion's paws. He bit her ear teasingly while he pinned her down and she managed to get a paw free and remove him from herself. They both carefully got up without stumbling and faced each other eye-to-eye. But before they tackled each other, an older wolf who somehow teleported into the den, knocked them both down at the same time.

' Ame?' Zion felt the place where his uncle had hit him.

Ame stared down at them, " What do you two think your doing? Your waking everyone up with your ridiculous noise! Your almost adults, so starting like one! "

" Sorry Ame, it wont happen again, " Laira apologized.

Ame sighed," Thank you. Now please instead of fighting, go hunt as a pair. Battle lessons are later," He left the den with a glance behind him to wait till they glanced at each other, got up and exited outside.

Staring at the hunting pile, there lay a fat hare in the dirt. It was all that they had, but staring at it made him drool. Seeing this, Laira rolled her eyes and nudged him away, "Come on," she mumbled in a annoyed sound. Pulling himself from the hare, he trotted after her, still fixed on the meat. It was obviously taunting him, it wasn't fair!

'You win this round,' he thought, wanting it to spring back to life so he could chase it down and bite it's miserable head off.

Walking along the hunting trail, it was quite cold, but he knew it would be steaming hot later. Laira sighed heavily, dragging her paws across the earth.

" I know were going to have to hunt a lot today. Did you see how small the pile was? Oh wait, you were staring at it earlier, never mind," Laira corrected herself.

Zion knew that Laira was a wonderful hunter. She could hear an eagle flying over her and catch it from the air in a second. Not even laziness could stop her from hunting for her clan.

" I'm just glad we only have ten mouths to feed, including me and you, " Zion stared blankly at the sky.

Laira growled, " Don't say that! What if another pack decided to conquer ours if our pack wasn't big enough to fight? There's a big chance they would treat us as omegas!"

"We'll with me, you'll be safe, " Zion held his head confidently.

Laira turned her head slightly, still her eyes in contact with his," You can't protect everyone, Zion." And they continued to walk along the path. About a little while later, he felt like talking about the situation a little more, a red hawk flew from the sky and landed in the tall grass only a a few wolf- lengthens away.

The two slunk into the grass as Zion and Laira peeked over to see the hawk tearing violently at a mouse.

Laira gave Zion a smug grin, " Welcome to the food chain, " and clicked her head to the side to show where she wanted him to go. He nodded and sunk slowly and softly moved through the grass. He spotted Laira's shadow and watched her admiringly as she looked as if she was gliding across the field.

They managed to come to a spot where they surrounded the hawk, and knew that it was the perfect moment to strike. Slowly, Laira crept toward the hawk while he stayed put. Laira was only a flash before his eyes when leaping, the hawk astonished. It was amazing that it managed to fly out of her reach. Luckily Zion was right there to catch it. He brought it down by sinking his claws into it's neck, and it died before it touched the ground.

"What a messy catch," Laira snickered teasingly.

"Hey, at least I caught something, " he defended, eyes narrowing.

"_We _ caught something, " she corrected.

Zion rolled his eyes, but agreed with her, "All right, but I did most of the work, " he assured pridefully.  
She looked as if she were to argue, but didn't.

"Alright, sure," Laira continued to pick up the mass of feathers, dig a hole and bury it. He sighed. It was going to be a long morning.

* * *

It had been well over an hour of hunting. Laira managed to make an impressive catch: An antelope, a wild cat, and a donkey.  
I only caught a rabbit and managed to find a small zebra. But I was still proud of myself.

On the way back, I helped Laira carry the donkey, it was heavy and I longed to drop it, but then I'd seem weak in front of her.

Through the full mouth she was carrying, Laira managed to speak," I can't wait to get back and see the proud look on the tribe's faces! We'll be able to last at least a few days with this, " she said pridefully.

"Yea, " he agreed, " Me neither! "

The weight though felt like it was carrying him down, he wanted to sit down, even if it was just for a minute. And the hot weather wasn't helping either. So he came up with the best excuse a male wolf could make.

"You look like your tired, Laira, " He stopped, " Why don't we sit down for a minute? "

She looked at him in disappointment, " Really? Is that the best excuse you got?" but even so she set the meat down," But sure, I could go for a rest."

Zion sighed quietly in relief. They both sat down and managed to find a small pond nearby, dragging the donkey behind them. As they neared the pond, Zion felt unsettled. He stopped to look around, but did not sense anything. Both he and Laira bent down to drink the water. While lapping at the refreshing pond water, he looked at her beautiful brown eyes. She, too, peered into his eyes. She looked so goofy staring at him while lapping the water, he couldn't help laughing. Apparently she found it amusing to her while watching him, because she laughed as well. They both had such a good time, they stayed longer than they thought they would.

Later, he found himself lying down with Laira, staring at the open scenery, her head rested on his shoulder. The pond glittered at the still-rising sun, and the outline of the tall grass was golden from the sun's glare. The long land, although a dry desert, looked gorgeous enough he could just sit there for hours just looking at everything around him.  
He felt so peaceful here with his best friend. He didn't know, maybe she was more than a friend. Just maybe-

And by then, the sharp call of the crow nearby startled him, and forced his fur to jump a little. Laira snapped awake as well. Although the crows and wolves were different species, they were sort of pals. They understood mostly what they were doing and saying. This particular crow had taken a liking to Zion, and liked to follow him around. They talked to each other sometimes, but only when alone. Its kind of embarrassing.

But this was no embarrassing matter.

"What did you just say?!" Zion barked at the crow, Colin.

"_Krrraaaaaaaaaaw!" _Colin crowed even louder.

"What? " Laira got up, who couldn't understand much crow, " What did he say?!" she looked anxious.

"Cougar!" Zion barked once more, " And it's getting-"

Growling, the large cat found itself discovered, leaped from the dead grass and roared loudly. Laira yelped at the sight of it. She had seen a cougar once. And that was when one took the life of her only family: her mother. He saw her trembling, but not due to fear. Zion could feel the pure rage quaking from her, reminding him of her oath, 'I will kill all cougars who dare come in my direction, or any-wolf.'

Barking fiercely at the cat, Laira spat disgustfully. Zion knew that cougars were dangerous, and couldn't bring himself to face his pack if anything happened to her. So he had to do the hard part: Getting her away from the cougar.

" Laira listen to me, " Zion kept his glare at the cougar," We have to leave now."

"No way am I letting this filth leave my sights," Laira's eyes flared, " I want it to look me strait in the eyes when I kill it, so that it will always know who killed it."

"Laira, we can't take it on right now, you'll get hurt," Zion tried to stop her from attacking it.

" Didn't you tell me that you'd always protect me?" Laira snarled.

"Stop this nonsense, we have to leave! Look, Colin will distract it!" As he said that, Colin pecked at the cat's head. Yowling in frustration, it waved it's unsheathed claws above it.

"Please, run!" He looked at her with pleading eyes.

There was a short pause, but she saw in him and knew the right answer, " Alright, what are you waiting for, lets run!"

Zion forced a smile and they both raced away. But they had to leave Laira's catch.  
'Maybe he'll go after the donkey instead of us' Zion thought.

He forced himself to look back, but only felt panic. The crow had been ignored after a while and as Zion had feared, the cougar ran right past the dead donkey and ran after them, gaining more speed than Zion ever had.

"Don't look back!" he commanded Laira.

She slightly whimpered," We can't give up, look there's a gorge strait ahead!"  
And that was all he needed to hear. They both aimed for the narrow crack in the rock wall. Colin flew above them, then flew ahead and above the gorge to scout ahead.

He never felt his muscles burn so much, he had never ran so hard to try and keep up with Laira. He couldn't let her know he was afraid, he had to stay strong. The wind crashed over him, and the sun gleaming bright on him, and urged him to slow down. But they were almost to the gorge.

Leaping through the crack, they raced over the boulders, being careful not to slip. Luckily, he heard the sound of scraping claws over the rocks, the sound of a slipping cougar.  
Pride and relief flooded over him as they reached the top. It was mostly a clear path from there, just crazy twists and turns throughout the open-sky cavern. Two large sets of walls stood beside he and Laira, trying not to bump into the sides.  
He saw Colin calling above and continued to run. But he felt anxious, he felt like the lion was breathing strait on his tail. Unsettled he checked behind him to see where the cougar was. He was relieved to see it wasn't there, it tripping over the rocks helped them gain some ground. But it wasn't far behind, yowling in frustration.

Just then, he heard Colin's calls turning the other way. They were calls of warning. Worried, he turned the corner only to find...

It was a dead end.

There was absolutely no way out. The rock sides were steep, and unclimbed before. The two wolves halted, worry filled Zion to the brim. 'What now?!' he panicked.  
The cougar was already gaining on them, and there was no was out. He felt like he wanted to fall down a say, " Take me," because he knew it was coming whether he liked it or not.

Out of breath he growled slowly, " Our- only chance- is- to fight it," he gasped.

Laira, who could barely breathe, faintly nodded.

The cougar quickly turned the corner and skidded to a halt, taking in deep breaths. Realizing they were trapped, licked it's sweaty nose victoriously. Zion and Laira waited for it to approach them so they could catch their breaths, and then...

Zion howled a lively battle cry and charged at the cougar. The sudden movements startled it and he tackled it to the ground. The two rolled repetitively, followed by vicious bites and scratches. 'I should have brought my dagger', he thought, regretting his decision, ' I could've finished this thing in one blow!'

The cougar was the one who overpowered him, claws yearning to slash at Zion's neck, but held them with his back paws. Laira smashed the cougar with her body and sent it sprawling off him. The two wolves stood firm and furious, but the cougar immediately smashed Zion over and took both of them by surprise. He knocked his head on the stone-cold floor, his vision turned blurry.

His hearing rung in his ears, only listening to the yelps of a petrified Laira. He could see the blurry shape of the cougar cornering Laira, who was too afraid to move. All he could do was lay there.

'Get up!' He commanded his legs, but only stirred. He started to choke up,' Get up, NOW!' and still made no real movement.  
'I can't let her die, I can't! I promised!' he felt his tail only twitch.

He saw his vision slightly clear for a second, watching the cougar draw closer to her, Laira's eyes wide in fear. The great beast lifted it's paw to slash her neck-

It was only a flash of light, but he found his teeth sunk deep down into the cougar's neck. It yowled in fury and pain. Zion bit down harder, the screaming cougar reaching on it's back to shake the wolf off. But Zion bent back and opened his blood filled mouth, ready to strike. He bit down as hard as he could until his teeth met together. No more screeching as the cougar crashed to the floor. Laira could only stare at the dead cougar.

Zion's vision recovered and is hearing cleared, only to find Laira run into him and cry in his blood soaked fur. He watched her in astonishment, waiting for her to call him a stupid dog, or some remark, but only silence behind her whimpering. He smiled down at her, resting his head over her shoulder.

"Didn't I tell you I'd always protect you?"

* * *

Me:Yawwwwwwn, that took a pretty long time! But I'm actually quite proud of myself. :)

Please check out my friends in real life Sky of Stars and deanplaysguitarforcas. Also check out my online friend ShonenMinecrafter1, cause' their awesome!

Zion: Just shut up and leave a comment already, okey?

Me: *shuts him in a cupboard* Never mind him, just ignore him, kay? Alright, then have a nice day! Peace out!

Zion: Leh meh ouh oh heerrh!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Mysterious Wolf

* * *

"Are you alright?" Zion asked his friend, Laira. They had just been through a horrifying experience. A cougar had found the two wolves and tried to attack them, and chased them into the gorge where they met a dead end. Zion had been knocked down, and Laira was almost killed. But eventually, Zion claimed to be more skilled, and overpowered the cougar.

The taste of cougar blood stung in his jaw, salty, but sour as well. He stared down at the lion's body, and he thought for a second it was a beautiful creature. It's glossy well-groomed fur glistened in the sun ray that shone through the top of the crevice. If it hadn't tried to kill him, he might have felt sorry for it. But as he stared at it longer, pride wheeled over him. He had just killed a creature most wolves fear, and had protected his best friend in the process.

"It's not alive any more, so were safe, " Zion assured her.

Laira gave a quick lick on Zion's cheek, " I'm not a pup any more, I already know that," and she stared up at the gorge's ceiling.

"We should go, " Zion turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Laira barked, " Why don't we take the cougar with us?"

"Why would we do that? It would only slow us down, and we have to carry the donkey home anyway. How would we carry the whole hut back to the tribe?" Zion huffed.

"Because, you'll be rewarded, and what if they make you a Warrior? You protected me _and _killed the cougar! That is amazing, and you deserve to be a Warrior, " Laira shuffled her paws.

Zion paused, and stared back at the cougar, then Laira, " Wouldn't they believe me?"

Laira sighed, "Maybe, then maybe not. So why don't we just bring something that belongs to the cougar?"

Zion thought of it, and realized he wanted to become Warrior, and wanted it badly. He had always dreamed of earning the leadership of the tribe. The only way he could do that is if he became a Warrior first.  
" Alright, you have me, " Zion agreed. He padded over to the cougar's tail, bent down, and bit it off. The recent death of the cougar had stopped the most of the blood running out.

He picked up the long tail of the cougar and walked side by side with Laira. He almost tripped and fell on the ground, but Laira supported him back up. The cougar had done more damage than he thought. Laira's head underneath his, together they carefully jumped down each boulder. They came to the one the cougar had slipped on from earlier. It had four, long deep claw markings.  
Zion swallowed hard, relieved that the large cat was dead.

When they approached the pond, they saw the large body of the donkey surrounded by crows. They always hung around during meal time, waiting till the wolves were finished eating. The crows would get the leftovers. Wolves and crows were sort of like partners. We would let them finish our food, and they would give us warnings of nearby danger.

Laira set him down, " Why don't we eat this right now, because we won't be able to carry this back with your injuries. Besides, you wont be able to go any further without energy. "

Zion nodded, then padded toward the pond for a drink. The uncomfortable taste of the blood washed away from his mouth. It was dry and filled with sand they kicked up while running, but the water quenched his dry throat. Laira pulled the donkey between them, and Zion never realized how hungry he was till he bit ravenously into it.

As Laira and he dug into the donkey, the crows gathered around, including Colin, who all looked hungrily at the donkey meat. Laira stared at them, at the donkey, then threw a piece of the meat at them. They crowed at the same time and all lunged for the meat.  
Feathers flew everywhere, the black birds climbing all over each other to reach the bit of meat. They bit each other with their beaks and knocked each other of the pile of crows. Colin somehow managed to squirm through the top of the crows and grab the piece of meat.

As Colin tried to fly away with the meat, in mid-air, all the crows launched themselves at him, hanging on, then falling down all together. Still holding onto Colin, he glided down and they ripped the meat away and started to fight over it again.

Laira and Zion both laughed at the funny scene, finding amusement in the fighting birds. It wasn't before long when a hyena strode through the mess of birds, took the meat in one bite, then padded gleefully away. The crows stopped immediately and stared at the hyena, the flew after it and started pecking it's head.

When they were both energized, they left the mostly eaten donkey for the crows and started heading back. Zion licked the sides of his mouth, tasting the donkey meat on his tongue. It wasn't long before they would reach home.

* * *

"Where were you two? You were gone for hours!" the growl of a frustrated wolf approached them.

"Twister, I'm sorry, but we had some trouble, " Zion set down the cougar tail.

" What in the name of Lupus?!" Twister, a black and white she-wolf stared at the two young wolves and then at the cougar tail. She didn't even bring her attention toward their hunt.

Just then, Ame came running toward the clearing, " What's wrong? Are they back yet?" But he could answer his own question after looking over Zion.

" What in the world happened to you two?! " Ame approached them, " Come on, you both need to see SunWings right now!" He nudged them both toward the Healer's den.

SunWings waited in her den quietly as she usually does, organizing herbs and sharpening the weapons with sandstone. That's another reason why the Desert Kingdom is the best of using knifes, they have an unlimited supply of sandstone to sharpen weapons. When she saw the dried blood covering both bodies of the young wolves, her eyes widened and raced over to support them.

"What is wrong with you two?! Did you get in another fight with a tribe?" SunWings grasped desert herbs in her jaws, gathered some water from the storage and started crushing the remedy with a rock.

Laira growled as she cleaned her own wounds, " It's not our fault that- "

" That they met up with a cougar, " Twister walked into the den holding the cougar tail, then dropping it at SunWings paws. The golden she-wolf yelped in surprise at the bloody tail, fur ruffled and dry with dirt. She bent down to look clearly at the tail and sniffed at it curiously.  
She rose up with bright blue eyes, " Twister, go find ShadedWings and bring him here, he needs to see this," and the black wolf nodded, leaving to follow the Healer's orders.

ShadedWings is the leader of the Free Heart. Ever since my parents died, Ame, my uncle, and the leader took care of me. They are the ones who taught me everything I know. At the time, Sorroco's pups had died in her stomach because she didn't get enough to eat. The sandstorm that killed my parents had scared all of the prey, but once they came back, she was able to nurse me when I was little.

A little while later, ShadedWings appeared in the den, dark fur and golden eyes made him seem so wise. He stood over Zion with gleaming eyes  
"I heard you and Laira faced a cougar today, am I right?" the leader paced around the room.

" Yes ShadedWings, and we were almost killed, too," Zion's teeth clenched as SunWings wrapped some human heal wrapping around the wound on his side. Sunwings was originally raised by humans, so she knew a lot about them. Moons before he was born, she joined the pack as Healer.

"Hold still!" SunWings commanded, " You'll feel better soon."

"So, what happened?" ShadedWings asked Laira.

"Well, we were out hunting, and a cougar jumped us. We managed to get through a narrow gorge, but it was just a dead end. We would have both died if it wasn't for Zion. He killed it in the end." Laira smiled at Zion, he smiled back.

"Did you know that even an adult wolf would not be able to defeat a creature like that?" Shadedwings told them both, " I am extremely expressed with you both, I hope to see you both recovering soon. " And with that, he left.

" Why don't you guys eat? It must have been tiring out there by yourselves, " SunWings offered.

" No thank you, we already ate on the way back, " Zion laid his head down, afraid she would scold them.

"I suppose you didn't have a choice," SunWings sighed, " I'll be back, just need to get some more herbs."

" Alright, I guess we'll stay here a little while," Laira yawned.

Zion felt a piece of dry grass stuck in his nose and sneezed. It wasn't the greatest nest, but he couldn't bring himself to say that to SunWings. She had been working so hard latly, and he'd hate to bring her down. So he closed his eyes, and soon dozed off.

* * *

The air was much cooler when Zion woke up. Did he sleep till night? I couldn't help anyone in camp today, completely useless...He felt to tired to open his weary eyes, but he wanted to see if Laira was alright.  
Zion forced his tired eyes to open. While they adjusted, he felt alone in the room. His eyes fully open, he saw that he was right. SunWings wasn't in her nest, and where Laira was before he fell asleep was not there any longer.  
Panic filled him, and called out without thinking, " Laira! Where are you?! " He raced outside to find himself face-to-face with Laira.

" Hmm? What's the matter? " Laira said curiously.

"Nothing, just wondering where you were, " Zion sighed.

" Yea, that's nice... " Laira looked shy, " Why did I come over here, again? " Zion cocked his head sideways to show confusion.

" Oh, yes!" her face lit up, " It's the full moon tonight! "

Zion narrowed his eyes, " And what of it? "

Laira rolled her eyes, " Gahh! It means we get our Warrior ceremonies! "

" What?! But why?! " Zion barked, shocked. He thought he would have to be older to officially be a Warrior.

" The leader thinks were ready! Now come on! " she raced into the clearing, apparently who had been healed of her wounds. Zion attempted to race after her, but fell over due to the pain. Laira turned around and ran back to him. Legs shaking, she supported him up by lifting her head under his. He limped over to the clearing with his friend then.

" Sorry, I forgot you were more injured than I was. By the way, how's your head feeling? " the grey she-wolf asked.

Zion's head slightly rung after just waking, but overall, he was fine, " Doing alright, " he assured her.

Laira smiled at him, and both made it to the great stone in the middle of camp. The full tribe sat neatly in two lines creating a path toward the large rock. Atop it stood the mighty leader, ShadedWings. His dark fur hit the moonlight of the full moon, making it shimmer. Zion sat down below the leader and listened to the leader's speech.

" As you all know, today both Zion and Laira showed great courage and brought down a cougar today. I have felt the need to allow these two responsible wolves the privilege of a Warrior. " he nodded to both Zion and Laira to come up onto the rock. Laira climbed onto the rock, supporting Zion to jump up as well. Zion watched over his pack and felt pridefully strong, and remembered the dreams he had as pup of becoming leader of the tribe.

" Laira of the Desert Flyers Clan, do you promise to uphold the laws of the wolves, and protect your pack no matter what the cost? " ShadedWings barked for the tribe to hear, deep voice echoing into the distance.

Laira lifted her head to meet the leader's eyes, " I shall. "

ShadedWings smiled at her, " Then, Laira, of the Free Hearts pack shall be known as Warrior from this day forward!"

The pack cheered, along with Zion barking as well. He felt proud of her. There was no other time he was more proud of his friend. The leader then raised his paw to silence the pack. Zion's attention turned toward him, eyes fixed on his.

" Zion of the Desert Flyers, " ShadedWings called, " Do you promise to uphold the law of the four wolf Clans and protect your clan even at the cost of your life?"

Zion's whole body quivered with excitement, but he kept calm. Would he really give his own life for his pack?

'_ Never. You'll regret that decision, ' _a voice echoed.

' What? Was that a voice? ' Zion was confused, but continued with the ceremony. He was about to say the words he had always wished to say at his Warriors ceremony, "I do, " but couldn't say it.

' Why can't I say it?! " he thought, frustrated. It felt almost as if someone had cut off his tongue. He felt his head ringing with howls of torment and anguish, he fell to the ground and held his ears tight, but the howls pressed on. He saw a vision of blood splattering onto the earth before him. Sight full of static, lifted his head unwillingly like someone pulling his head back. Fur tearing from his head, he struggled to hold up, and stared to see where the blood pored from. A wolf, stood in that place.

She was drunken in blood, and smelled of the scent of death. She staggered towards Zion, tongue slipped out, blood dripping from her mouth. She fell in front of him, leaving him paralysed in fear. Thoughts of the repeating words, _"help" _and "Zion" slipped in his mind. He could now clearly identify the wolf after finding a clear tuft of grey fur. He soon realized in regret...

It was Laira.

Suddenly, a gust of wind pulled him away, leaving the blood-soaked Laira and appearing back in front of the leader on the rock. Nothing had happened. Laira stood next to ShadedWings, not a single trace of blood was on her.  
' Was I just... daydreaming? ' It was possibly one of the most odd thing that happened to him. But everything seemed normal. What had he dreamt any ways? He had totally forgotten. Without knowing, he spoke those words:

" I do."

" Then, Zion of the Free Hearts pack shall be known as a Warrior as of today, and until the day you die! " and with that, the small, but mighty pack all howled at the shining moon.  
Zion and Laira joined in harmoniously, eyes closed and side by side. Zion felt the soft breeze of desert wind blow at his fur. The beautiful ballad of howling flooded over the mountains, echoing into the distant land. His heart soared so much, he felt as if he could howl at the glistening moon forever. However, he had to finish, and the pack feasted on the hunt from today.  
He and Laira shared the hawk that they had caught together this morning and ate till they couldn't any longer. Later on, he and Laira moved to the Warriors den. He would miss is training den and having it to only himself and Laira, but he belonged to the pack truly now. After a while of sleeping in his new nest next to Laira's, he found himself sound asleep.

'_ You shall regret the oath you took, Zion. '_

* * *

Zion remembered that during midnight, both he and Laira would be required to stay on watch over camp, but due to their injuries, they could not carry out the tasks. So ShadedWings agreed that they should go on watch the following night. When he woke up, he stepped outside the den and stretched out.

He was surprised to find that his wounds had mostly healed, and his head had stopped hurting. He sat at the front of the den, realizing no patrols had been taken out. The sun was barely visible over the desert hills. He yawned and walked over to the two guards, Talon and Sorocco.

Sorocco flicked her tail, " Now your awake? I hope your happy, pup. My brother Talon and I had to take your shift for the night, " she playfully cuffed Zion's ear.

" I'm sorry, I promise I'll be on watch tonight, " Zion dipped his head, and turned to the clearing. Then he noticed the deputy, Saffron, lying on top of the great rock, watching the sunrise.

When he was just a pup, Saffron had become a deputy a few moons before. She was loyal to her leader and was patient, so Zion knew she wouldn't challenge him to a duel.  
In the wolf clans, fights to become leader of a tribe were very important. If the deputy were to challenge the leader, they would duel to see who would become the next commander of the pack.

After he knocked the thought from his mind, " Good morning, Saffron, "he greeted Saffron with a bow.

She stood and nodded in return, " You're up early, considering your injuries aren't completely healed, " she yawned, " I'm guessing your feeling up for a border patrol, then? "

He nodded, " You know me, Saffron. I just can't sit in one place too long. "

Saffron woofed, laughing quietly, " Well lucky you, because ShadedWings was speaking with me recently about moving camp. "

Zion smiled in return. He always loved moving; new smells, bigger prey, more to explore. He felt excitement tingling in his paws. He watched the sleek-furred wolf gracefully leap from the rock, landing on the ground with a soft thump. She nudged him softly and swept her head to the dirt filled path, mountain winds blew at her fur.

"Shall we go, then? " she smiled, " The wind isn't going to carry us down the mountain ourselves, you know. " Saffron padded away.

Zion ran after her and immediately felt a blast of wind in his face. The cliff was steep, but he knew where to step. He and Saffron bounded down the mountain trail, walking through the giant walls of the cliff. Along the path, the two wolves spotted a antelope bounding across the chasm. Zion yearned to run after it, who loved a good chase, but his muscles ached from the other day.  
Saffron instead continued walking. He felt frustrated, but Zion respected her decision. It wasn't long before they reached the end of the trail, soon arriving at the welcoming sands. Although outsiders would feel lost, and way too hot, Zion loved to race through the desert hills. Other wolves were used to snow. He had heard about the white, cold fluff that was around the cold season of the year, though he had never experienced it.

Zion then rushed along the scent trail, followed by Saffron. They would have to travel miles before arriving back, and he thought of Laira. He actually felt selfish, wanting Laira to go on the patrol instead of him. But he knew she was just as tired as he was.

The journey felt longer than it was. The aching pain from his legs and back slowed him down. But Saffron honoured him with a break, seeing how much pain he was in.

" You alright? " the deputy rested herself next to him, " I'm sorry for pushing you. I'm just so used to pushing ahead without stopping. "

Zion attempted to persuade her to think otherwise, " No, don't stop on my behalf. I know you just want to get border patrol out of the way for the morning." She stared at him as if she were disappointed. He felt a hesitating look from her dark eyes, as if she expected him to add something to his answer. He looked at her questionably, but it only made him more uncomfortable.

"There's nothing wrong with taking a break, Zion, " he swallowed nervously as she spoke his name, " If you didn't call out wanting to take a break, and were to stubborn to admit you were tired, what would happen if we were attacked? It is not a situation to take lightly. You would be to tired or hurt to move on, and wouldn't have the strength to fight for your pack, " she grunted as she turned, but looked over her shoulder. Her gaze intimidating, " Now I'm going to find some prey for you whether you like it or not. "

She narrowed her eyes, impatient, and he nodded quickly. And with that, she strode away, hunting close by.

He sighed, almost forgetting to breathe. When she had something on her mind, she made it happen. It was useful when speaking with other packs, but she scared him when she so challenging at him.  
But she was the strongest wolf he knew, besides his leader. He knew Saffron would become a great leader.

As he waited, he lay there patiently. Wind whisking at his fur, sun only just rising from the mountain peaks. He didn't want Saffron to be wasting time for border patrol just for him. He couldn't allow her to hunt feeding him while he was still able to walk. But the rock he laid on felt warm, and it somehow soothed him. He felt drowsy and his eyes closed, vision still red from watching the sun rise from the sky. He didn't fall asleep, but he didn't know how long he stayed there.

Zion knew it was wrong to let Saffron hunt by herself. So he decided he would go find her and stop being useless. But as he rose from the warm surface, he felt himself go stiff in one place. He started to notice his fur bristle, and his lips curled into a snarl. His claws slid out in a even way, digging them deep in the hot sand. His eyes fixed on a shadowy figure in the distance, swaying eerily toward him.

It was far away, but he could feel as if it's presence wrapped around him, grinding through his bones. He felt cautious against the odd form. It seemed as if the earth was shaking, but it was just caused by fear and anger toward the creature.  
He didn't like it. The shape was described as unsettling and ghastly, but it wasn't clearly visible. But wasn't that the reason why he was shaking? Unknowing of the thing itself would only cause for fear to think what it could be.

Saffron was heard over his growls of warning, her paw steps cracked at the stones underneath her. Although their faces did not meet, he knew of the surprise on her stunned face.  
All that came from her was a growl of misunderstanding.

" What's the matter? What do you- " Saffron petrified, was not able to finish her sentence. Staring into the dark figure shuffling toward them. The closer it got, the more raged the two furious wolves became. The wind around the shadow-like figure was foul and bitter, a scent he had never approached before. Then he unexpectedly heard a repetitive drum bonged in his head, though he made no movement. The creature did not make much yearning to attack, just slowly making it's way toward the border.

At least so far.

Without realizing it, he barked harshly at the shadow, " Step one pace closer to the border, and you will be severely ripped to shreds!" he felt as if the whole land had heard his cry. Saffron stared at them both with wide eyes, apparently petrified as well. He had apparently got some sense into it, for he didn't feel it moving any longer. He could finally catch his breath. He then walked alertedly toward it, making short movements. Somehow, the hostile sense transformed amazingly from sinister to elegance and more so.  
How could something so vile from a distance seem so harmless up close?  
He stared down at it's feet cautiously, but at a considerable distance. His eyes narrowed to find the soft black paws under it's sleek pelt. He raised his head, observing it alertly as he found it's stunning tail, long and downy with raven-black. He glanced at it's sides, the ribs were clearly visible. The long snout and pointed ears gave it away. She was a wolf.

Zion took a deep breath, realizing it was a wolf. But it made him even more fired up, because she was just about to cross the border!  
" What do you think your doing, trying to cross our border? " Zion growled hostilely, " Which clan are you from? Your not of the desert, that's for sure. "

The she-wolf lifted her bright blue eyes, with no vicious thirst, " I come from no clan. I am only a lone wolf seeking help. You are right, I am not of the desert, I am a forest wolf, " she gesturing to her dark black fur, which was thick and matted.

"What makes you think we will let you into our territory, let alone our own camp? " Saffron snarled, stepping forward.

" I just ask for shelter, only for a few nights, " she implored.

Saffron barked and launched herself at the loner violently. The outsider yelped in astonishment as Saffron leaned over her, teeth bared and claws extending threateningly over her throat. Zion was so surprised, he jumped backward. He stared intently at his deputy, who's eyes flared in anger. He should have just sent the she-wolf away before things had gotten out of paws. He swallowed, unknowing of Saffron and her next move. Everyone knew how unpredictable the deputy was, she could even have killed the intruder by now!

Drool hung from the deputy's teeth, this was no laughing matter, " How dare you, trash? How could you think I would let an intruder into my camp?! I will protect my clan at all cost, even if it means killing intruders! " the lone wolf stared into the eyes of the beastly wolf, eyes wide in terror.

" Please! I'll die out here, and there are many lions who could vouch for that! " she didn't dare move.

" Oh, getting cocky now, aren't we? " Saffron woofed, anger rising immensely.

Zion barked at his deputy, unknowing the following consequences, " That's enough, Saffron! Let her go! " Saffron raised her head and eyed him threateningly.

" So what? So she can escape now and return later? I don't think so! " Saffron viciously clasped her jaws around the she-wolf's neck, " She's coming with us as a hostage. "

Zion jumped in front of her, " Your thinking rashly here, Saffron! We only just met her, we should just leave her to go bother some other pack. Besides, what will ShadedWings think? "

Through a mouthful of fur, she snarled, " That's exactly why I'm taking her back to camp, so she better not try to escape. I have the habit of chasing down my prey. " she met the intruder's eyes intensely.

Zion sighed, " Alright, I trust you."

_' Mostly,' _he added silently.

He wished to know the name of the black wolf, but kept quiet. He tried to guess it himself. What were lone wolf's names like?  
_' Blackie? BlackWind, BlackFlower, Black something? __Maybe just Black? '_It was official. He was horrible at giving names. If he had given himself a name, it would probably be Brownie, or at least something that sounded brown-like. That was pretty much how he described wolves : by their fur.

He sighed, feeling sorry for the she-wolf. He would have let her go if Saffron would have left her alone. He stared into the intruders eyes, full of courage. She just walked alongside Saffron with travelling eyes. The wolf seemed so brave and experienced, he wanted to be like that. The sun had moved higher in the sky, shining on their pelts. Saffron and his own pelts were well groomed and clean, while the loner's ruffled and dull. When they reached camp, ShadedWings had just come out of his den. Laira was talking to some of the older Warriors as they strode quietly through camp. Saffron nudged the she-wolf forward and headed for the stone rock. He winced as Laira slightly turned her head and spotted Zion.

She flashed him with her eyes in greeting and smiled, " Zion! I was wondering where you headed off to, silly pup! "

Zion would have been slightly offended and would've remarked back if not for the captor. He narrowed his eyes gravely and cocked his head toward the lone wolf. Laira's teasing look changed into more concerning of the critical circumstance. Laira padded toward him, as if to wish to help, but Saffron growled warningly. Laira, respecting the deputy, stepped back and a look of concern flashed at him. He narrowed his eyes, trying to assure her that everything would be alright.

As more of the pack appeared in the clearing, the more unsettled he became. Ame growled at the intruder, Zion was relieved the large wolf didn't attack her. So much hostility filled the camp! Was this really his pack? It almost seemed as if their wrath turned toward him as well! He felt is knees start to shake, his tail drooping to the ground. He didn't deserve the title of a Warrior, the way he handled this similar to a pup. Truth was, he hated war and pure malice between the destructive clans. But he knew in order to live to protect his individual pack, he should at least attempt to be brave.  
Zion inhaled the welcoming desert breeze. Enduring through the wrath of his tribe, stood, meeting the outrage toward the lone wolf, and accepted it.

Zion exhaled, breathing out his own words that belonged to him only, " Shut up! Can't you all just keep quiet until ShadedWings arrives? Or are you full of so much hatred that you would be willing to kill a wolf you just met? This matter will be fulfilled the way our leader sees it, whether you agree or not. This loner may not even know she had crossed into our borders. Maybe she was too focused on attempting to find food. If you were her, you wouldn't want other wolves just waiting for a chance to rip her throat out! " he barked, jarring remarks he spit at them.

That was until he remembered only being made Warrior the other night, and immediately regretted his words. It was near definite that they would lash out at him next. He wished he had kept his big mouth shut, speaking his mind, and patently as well might have been the worst choice of his life.

He might have jumped off the side of the cliff right there if they hadn't sat themselves down, not exchanging another word. It took him by surprise, he knew their pack wasn't the best on sharing opinions, and this felt like such a big change of heart. Almost too stunned to move, he glanced at Laira, sitting as well. She smiled proudly at him, and seemed to be impressed and relieved at his conclusion. He sighed, catching his breath once more as the leader he had waited so long for came out from the den Zion had kept his eye on since the moment he arrived in camp.

The leader looked over the clearing with vast eyes, " What is going on out here? " he continued to head toward his deputy. Zion winced as the dark-furred wolf's eyes fixed on the black loner. He could see in the leader's eyes that he knew exactly what had happened.  
His eyes met the loner's, and felt full of compassion. Everything started to feel fixed in hesitation, the pack leaned forward, eager to where the leader was lead to say.

Dazed, Zion watched as the leader sat down, no harming look toward the black wolf shone on him, " Saffron, could you tell me why you lead this wolf into our camp? " The leader's expression stayed a silent and kept the situation calm. The black she-wolf fixed her gaze at ShadadWings, but her look didn't seem as if she regretted being hauled into their borders. She had an appearance that told she aspired to be here long ago.

Saffron growled and shoved the wolf, intending rough meanings, " This wolf decides to stroll into our territory, and purposely, I might add. Then, demands to hunt within our borders, as well as take shelter in _our_ camp! "

" And tell me why you brought her into our camp? " he questioned his deputy.

" Because I knew if I let her go, she'd come back, " Saffron growled at the black she-wolf.

" Well it's good you brought her to me, " he smiled at Saffron, " Now we show proper care for her. "

Both Saffron and the pack burst in outrage, even Zion was against his superior's rash decision. The only wolf was a nodding SunWings, who agreed with would his leader make such a decision that their clan could be put in danger? Even though he desired for the wolf to be released, he never expected her exposer to the camp to be welcoming!

" You can not be serious, ShadedWings! " Saffron's teeth bared, " Your allowing an intruder to waltz into- "

" Can you not see she is ill? " SunWings burst from the crowd and barked in Saffron's face, " She is suffering from kill-fever? She has been unwell from not eating for so long, that she has a high fever! " It may take less than half a moon for her to be fully cured. We can't just leave a sickly wolf, fending for herself in the desert, where there are wild animals that would kill her without fail! " the amber-furred wolf spat.

" Then feed her and then send her out. Simple as that, " Saffron refused to stoop low. Bad choice when it's a Healer your speaking to.

" You know that's not true, " SunWings growled, " Just look at her. You think she'd survive with a measly rabbit and get all better? It's not that simple, and whether you like it or not, she will be treated."

The deputy was silent, and she sighed. Zion was relieved she had succumbed to the Healer's words. He looked back at ShadedWings, who nodded at the conclusion.

"Very well, " he announced, " she will stay here until her illness has passed, and I will hear no comment otherwise. Even behind my back, because I will hear of it. She will be a guest known to be passing through, not as a intruder. Am I clear? " ShadedWings looked upon his pack with calm, but strict eyes.

The tribe knew of their leader's decision, and knew it was for the best. They nodded in return. Zion smiled, sitting next to the deputy, hoping that this wasn't a mistake. But he didn't like Saffron's way either. Saffron, who apparently agreed with the termination of the subject, bowed respectfully at her leader, eye still on the wolf.

"Now, I would like to ask you, " ShadedWings warm look stared down at the raven-coloured wolf, " What might be your name? "

The wolf bowed gratefully, " I thank you for you hospitality, but I plead, don't waste most of your time looking out for me. I don't want to cause trouble within your clan, " she rose her head.

" Oh! I'm sorry, my name you ask? " the wolf ducked her head, slightly embarrassed. But she slowly rose her head to the fully risen sun, smiling at the words of her name.

" My name is Umber."

* * *

Hello! Sorry that this came later than expected, just playing four Pokemon games at once. No biggie! Trying to build a ultimate team.

Anyways, both Zion and Umbra are OCs of a girl named Elaive. (Not her real name ) I just made the fic. The Warrior idea was mine and the first two chapters were not included in her tale of Zion. ( The main plot will be coming soon ) Since her story is just for some ocs, I couldnt base it on just that, so the Warrior not only supported it, but it also adds more to the story.

Also, I added to her story to make a bigger twist. She said it was alright to add, so dont worry! She is also the one who drew the pic of Zion that is also my profile pic.

I guess that's all for now. ( actually no, There is more. I wanted to make a Amv animation based on the story ) So stay awesome guys, love ya"! Bye-bye!

* * *

Also, check out my two real life friends: Sky of Stars, who loves Warriors and Anime just as much as I do. Also check out deanplaysguitar, (cant really remember the rest ) who writes Supernatural fics' so look at her, too.  
Please check out awesome online friend Shonenminecrafter1 as well!


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